Reactor with separator of entrained solids from gases



ROM GASES Aug. 29, 1944. e. s. DUNHAM REACTOR WITH SEPARATOR 0F ENTRAINED SOLIDS F Filed July 31, 1941 INVENTOR 7 AI gJEY Gauge: 5. Duh/H4 Patented Aug. 29, 1944 REACTOR WITH SEPARATOR F ENTRAINED SOLIDS FROM GA SES George S. Dunham,

Merion, Pa, assignor to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 31, 1941, Serial No. 404,794

2 Claims.

This invention has to with the separation of entrained solid particles from eilluent gases from processes wherein solid material in particle form is contacted with gases or vapors.

One such process is that shown in Payne. U. 8. Patent 2,227,416, wherein spent adsorbent, such asfullers earth, is revivified by flowing it downwardly through a reaction ione in countercurrent contact with a rising stream of regenerating gases. Similar process arises in the vapor phase conversion of hydrocarbons wherein heated vapors are passed through a particleiorm contact mass which'may itself constitute or which may carry material catalytic to the desired whether the bed of solid particlesis fixed or moving, entrainment and carryover 'of solid particles may be serious. This is particularly true when high space velocities of, gas per pound of solid material are used. The problem becomes acute with some processes wherein-flowing solid material passes counter-current to using gas or :vapors, since in some of these processes space velocities are such as to almost float the solid particles upon the gases or vapors.

This invention has for an object the provision of method and apparatus for the separation of conversion. In any such 1 process,

. turned therefrom '8, which extends into said reaction zone into the the usual gas withdrawal entrained solid particles under the conditionss ,above outlined. It has for an object the provision of a, type of construction for devices of this sort which is readily adaptable to reactors. of this type. It has for an additional important object the provision of a method of operating entrainment separators which isof wide applicability under a variety of circumstances.

In order to more clearly understand this invention, reference is now made to the drawing attached hereto, the two figures of which.- show. in a somewhat diagrammatic fashion, apparatus appropriate for the practice of the invention. Of these figures. Figure 2 is a vertical section of apparatusembodying my invention, and Fig-v ure 1 is a horizontal section, taken at a plane f indicated upon Figure 2.

'Reading the two figures of the drawing to- "gether, 3 represents the shell of a vessel, in which, below the level shown herein, there is conducted a reaction involving contact between a. particle form .solid and a gaseous or vaporous medium, hereingenerally spoken of as gas. Solid material is fed to this reaction vessel through feed pipes 4 extending from a" storage bin, (not shown), above the vessel 3, into the reaction space. Above the reaction space in. vessel 3 there is a partition passing through these or tubular passages 6. Gases emerging from the body of solid material in the reaction space into the space immediately below partition pass through tubes 6 into the upper portion of 3, above the partition. Th space above the partition is formed into a centrifugal separator for the separation of entrained solid material from these gases in the following manner. A second partition, 1, in the form of a downwardly tapering cone, is provided, and the tubes that plane parallel to the axis of vessel 3, their exit ends are radially displaced, all in the same direction. This serves to cause the gas streams tubes 8 to impinge against the inner wall of vessel 3 and flow tangentially therein whereby the entrained solids are separated, to fall to conical partition] and be reto the reaction zone by pipe body of solid therein.

Centrally located in the upper portion of the centrifugal separator space 8, there is provided 7 hood Iii, as a circular tube, dependent from the top head of vessel 3, and gases leave the apparatus'through pipe H. The apparatus has the feature of uniformly withdrawing gases containing entrained mate- 'rial from all portions of the disengaging space immediately below partition ii flowing those gases in a minimum of path intothe separator, and still giving to each portion of gas as it enters the separator a properly centrifugal motion and a positive direction so that solid material entrained thereinvwili be carried to the wall of the separator and dropped.

Since the emcient operation of a separator of this type depends upon the imparting of'a high velocity to the solidsupon entry to the separator, in order that due to their higher momentum they will maintain that path when the direction of the gas stream is changed and so leave the gas stream, an interesting feature of this invention surrounds that operation shown diagrammatically at the right of Figure 2. Here we find, as shown by the arrows, a portion of the solid-free gas withdrawn from the separator through pipe 'fan of usual type,

5, through which lead pipes II is diverted to "booster" a jet pump arrangement, or other appropriate mechanism for increasing the pressure of the gas by a relatively slight and this gas is into th space below partition 5.

This gas so returned serves to controllably increase the amount of gas flowing through tubes 8 are so placed while their center lines lie each within a l2, which may be a amount, then returned through pipe I:

I and so increase the momentum of solid particles entrained therein and thus secure better separation, since like increases in the carrying capacity of the'gases within space 9 are not caused by this operation. When properly balanced, significant increases in the etficiency of centrifugal separators may be obtained by application of this principle of recycling separated gas.

Returning to partition 5, it will be remembered that its essential function is one of properly positioning the lower ends of tubes 6, and so, some form .of spider construction may be substituted for the solid construction shown, the sealing of space 9 from the reaction space being accomplished by the cone 1. Also, in certain cases it may be quite feasibl to accomplish the same purpose by firmly fixing tubes 6 in cone 1 in properposition, and doing away with even the vestiges of partition 5.

I claim:

1. In a reactor wherein particle-form solid material is treated with gasiform reagent an assembly for separating, entrained solid from effluent gas which comprises a reactor vessel so con-- trained solid from the initial disengaging space to the separator, the axis of said tubular means I lying in a plane parallel to the axis of the cylin drical separator and being placed at an angle to said axis, means to withdraw separated entrained solid from the apex of said partition and return it to the reactor below said initial v gas-solid disengaging space, and means to remove cleaned gas from. thecentral portion of said separator. v

2. In a reactor wherein particle-form solid material is treated with gasiform reagent an assembly for separating entrained solid from effluent gas which comprises a reactor vessel so constructed as to provide an initial gas-solid disengaging space in the upper end of said reactor, a cylindrical separator body thereabove, a downwardly tapering conical partition dividing said separator body from the initial disengaging space, tubular means extending through said partition for the transfer of gas containing entrained solid from the initial disengaging space to the separator, the axis of said tubular means lying in a plane parallel to the axis of the cylindrical separator and being placed at an angle to said axis, means to withdraw separated entrained solid from the apex of said partition and return it to the reactor below said disengaging space, means to remove cleaned gas from the central portion of said separator and means to return a portion of said cleaned gas to the disengaging space.

GEORGE S. DUNHAM. 

